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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · plane · lie · clip · bat · lean · bark · current

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. current — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bat — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. clip — a video
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. board — a committee

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com